Elsie Scully-Hicks: Baby murderer seen as 'positive dad'

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/720x405/p05mb274.jpg">Media playback is unsupported on your deviceMatthew Scully-Hicks made a 999 call two months before Elsie died claiming she fell down stairsA father who murdered his baby just weeks after adopting her may have slipped under the radar as he was seen as a "positive parent", a review has found.Elsie Scully-Hicks died in May 2016 when she was 18 months old.She was subjected to a catalogue of injuries by killer Matthew Scully-Hicks in the eight months he had care of her. A child practice review said these were never considered anything other than "childhood accidents".Cardiff and Vale's Regional Safeguarding Children Board agreed that while Elsie's death could not have been predicted it could potentially have been prevented.Elsie's catastrophic injuries included a fractured skull, bruises and a broken leg at the hands of her adopted father at their Cardiff home. But a report said professionals failed to "see a pattern emerging with injuries", and that they viewed the adoption as "very successful" with events in the child's life viewed through a "positive lens".Personal trainer Scully-Hicks, originally of Delabole, Cornwall, had denied murdering the 18-month-old but was found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court after trial last year.He must serve at least 18 years behind bars before being considered for release.Baby murder 'a rogue' adoptionElsie Scully-Hicks: Dad of adopted baby guilty of murderBaby Elsie's catalogue of injuries999 call made four days before Elsie diedThe review, published by the Regional Safeguarding Children's Board on Thursday, said there were missed opportunities "to raise safeguarding concerns and instigate child protection procedures" and no evidence was seen of injuries being considered as a pattern.This is despite Elise needing medical treatment on numerous occasions while in Scully-Hick's care, including:In November 2015 she went to the GP as she could not bear weight on her leg - an x-ray later found she had a fractureIn December 2015 she suffered a large bruise on her foreheadIn March 2016 she was described as vomiting after falling through stair gatesDespite the list of injures, Scully-Hicks' explanations were accepted by health professionals, the report said.The failure to spot a second fracture on the x-ray in 2015 meant an opportunity was missed to flag up safeguarding concerns, as getting two fractures from a minor fall would have been highly unusual. Scully-Hicks and his husband Craig went through a year-long assessment before being formally allowed to adopted Elsie.The couple decided Scully-Hicks would stay at home while Craig continued to work as a company director with frequent trips away overnight.But the report said the overall presentation was of a "happy united family" and those working with the child either did not consider or did not raise the possibility that the child was being harmed.The sharing of information between social workers and the adoption service did not happen until three weeks after she fell down the stairs, it added.Who was Elsie Scully-HicksScully-Hicks said he did not know how Elsie sustained her fatal injuriesDuring his trial, Scully-Hicks claimed he never harmed Elsie and said she must have suffered her fatal injuries after he changed her for bed at home on 25 May 2016.She died at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales four days later after doctors determined she could not be saved and her ventilator was switched off. A pathologist said her injuries were "very typical" of a shaken baby.A CT scan showed she had bleeding on the brain and a post-mortem examination revealed she had also suffered broken ribs, a fractured left femur and a fractured skull.There was also haemorrhaging within both of Elsie's retinas - associated with inflicted trauma or injury.Dr Sarah Harrison, who examined Elsie after her death. said her leg injuries looked like those sustained in major trauma incidents such as a car accident.Scully-Hicks said Elsie fell down these stairs less than three months before she diedDelaboleCardiff

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